Welcome to the Tissue Services Core -
Information for
patients:
This is how you can help fight against cancer and various other diseases:
The number of cancer related deaths per year in the world are 6.7 million
in the year 2002. The world saw 10.9 million new cancer cases in the year 2002. (Source)
In recent years cancer
research has started to shift from using animal models to human tissues. Due to
the change in the pattern of research, investigators often need human tissue for
research.
Surgeons remove appropriate
tissue during an operation. After the operation the tissue removed from the patient's
body is sent to the pathology department for examination.
The tissue first goes to
a pathology grossing room where the tissue is examined visually for any
abnormality. A small portion of the tissue taken is used for microscopic
examination and rest of the tissue is discarded after ~3 weeks.
The portion taken for
microscopic examination is embedded in wax blocks known as paraffin blocks.
Sections from the paraffin blocks are taken to make slides. The slides are used
for pathological diagnosis and the reports are released. The paraffin blocks and
slides are stored for at least ten years.
Instead of disposing of the
tissue and paraffin blocks we can use them for research. The tissue not required
for diagnosis is cut into small parts and stored in a freezer. Whenever an
investigator needs the tissue, it can be provided for research.
Investigators require
tissue samples and associated clinical information to perform research to
understand mechanism of many diseases. This can lead to improved
techniques for early diagnosis and effective treatment for various diseases
including cancer.
Informed consent from
patients is a prerequisite to collect the tissue and to obtain the relevant
clinical data.
At any one time, if the
patient decides to withdraw his/her specimen from the TSC, the
relevant banked material will be removed and discarded.
Return to the Tissue Services Core information page
